Fountain-pen



No Model.)

0. W. TAYLOR.

FOUNTAIN PBNM No. 340,166. Patented Apr..20, 1886.

I Afforney N. PETERS. Pbolo-Lilhognphur. Washmgim m;

CLARENCE \VALLAOE TAYLOR, OF JANESVILLE, XVISGONSIN.

[FOUNTAIN-PEN.

IEGIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,166, dated April 20,1886,

- Application filed February 12, 1886. Serial No. 191,707. (No model.)

the pen-holder and is fed therefrom to the penpoint, during the act of writing, through suitable ducts or channels.

My invention relates more particularly toj that class of fountain-pens which are designed to receive gold, steel, or other metal pens of the usual forms. As heretofore constructed, these pens have been seriously defective, owing to the fact that any sediment of foreign matter in the ink enters the capillary tubes or ducts and either partially or wholly clogs them, whereby the flow of ink is either entirely stopped or is rendered irregular, very scanty, or very excessive. Moreover, when these pens are first filled, or when they have been unused for a short time, their operation is very unsatisfactory, owing to the dryness of the working parts and particularly of the pen itself. XVhen steel pens are used with fountain-pens", as heretofore constructed, such pens rapidly corrode, andhence great waste ensues.

The obj ectsof my invention are to produce a fountain-pen which shall be prompt and certain in its action and in which the flow of ink shall be uniform at all times, which shall meet the demands of rapid writing and shading, and the ducts and channels of which shall be free from clogging, while the pen itself, if of eorrodable metal, shall be protected against corrosion when the pen is not in use.

To the above purposes my invention consists, first, in an adjustable plug provided with a large ink-channel extending nearly the entire length of the plug and communicating at its upper end with the ink-reservoir and at its lower end through a small ink-channel with a capillary feeder directly beneath the pen proper, the upper interior surface of the conduit being formed with one or more grooves adapted to transmit ink by capillary action from the reservoir and conduit to the small ink-channel Without permitting the entrance into the latter of any sediment or other forclaimed.

My invention further consists'in the combination, with the large ink-conduit having the groove or grooves in its upper interiorsurface and the small ink-channel leading therefrom, of a capillary feeder located directly beneath the pen 'proper, of an ink-well locatedin the lower end of the adjustable plug and in communication with the pen through a second small inkchamber or capillary feeder, said fss eign matter, as hereinafter descrlbed and wellserving as a reservoir to meet the demands of rapid writing and shading, as hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention further consists in certain pe-' culiar and novel features of construction and arrangement relating to the cap for protecting the pen proper from corrosion,the attacli ment of the pen proper to the holder, and the attachment and removal of the adj ustable plug, 7, ashereinafter described and claimed. A

In order that my invention may be fully un-f' derstood, I will proceed to describe it with" reference to the accompanying drawingsyin' which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my improved fountain-pen. Fig. 2 is a do tached view of the adjustable plug, showing the same in side elevation. Fig.3 is a longitudinal horizontal section of the adjustable plug on the line 3 3 of Fig.2, looking upward at its interior surface. Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection on the line 4 4of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a View in elevation of the upper side of the adjustable plug. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of the cap. Fig. Sis a detached View of the upper side of the socket piece, showing the manner of attaching the pen proper. Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section of theadjustableplug, showing a modi-' fication of the invention.

In the said drawings, A designates the body or holder of the pen, which is hollow, as shown, to receive the charge of ink, and thus to serve as a reservoir for supplying ink to the roe pen proper. The upper end of this body or holder is reduced, as shown at a, to receive the hollow cap A, which is provided with a perforation, a, the purpose of which will appear in the ensuing description. The lower end of theholder Ais internally screw'threaded to receive the reduced and externallythreaded portion 0 of a socket-piece, C. This socket-piece is formed with an annular shoulder, 0', which forms a tight joint with the lower end of holder A, and upon its upper side, at the lower end thereof, said socket-pieceis cut away, as shown at c", to a depth corresponding with about the thickness of an ordinary gold or steel pen, D, the width of this out being at its upper part somewhat less than the width of the pen. As shown in Fig. 8, the lateral margins of thiscut or recess are slightly undercut to receive and hold the lateral edges of the pen,while the end margin of said out is similarly undercut to receive the upper end of the pen. (See Fig. 1.) The purpose of thus attaching the pen proper is to render it capable of a slight upward spring when pressed upon the paper in the act of writing, and the result of this movement of the pen proper will appear from the ensuing description.

E designates the adjustableplug, At its upper or inner end this plug is of cylindrical form, so as to fit tightly within the socketpiece 0, and this cylindrical formation extends about one-fourth of the entire length of the plug, so that said plug may be inserted to a greater or less extent within the socketpiece, in order that the outer end of the plug may assume the required position relative to the nibs of longer or shorter pens.

e designates the large ink-conduit, which begins at the upper or inner end of the plug, at which point said conduit communicates with the interior of the holder A and extends longitudinally of the plug, terminating near the out r or lower end thereof.

6 designates a small duct or ink-channel, which opens from above the lower end of conduit e, and extends at right angles therefrom to the upper side of the plug. Beginning near the lower or outer end of the plug, in its upper surface, inclined downward toward the upper or inner end of said plug through a distance corresponding with about the length of the body portion of an ordinary pen, exclusive of its nibs, there is formed a groove, e,which I term a capillary feeder, and which extends from near the lower or outer end of the plug upward nearly to the inner or upper end of the pen proper when the latter is in position. This groove or feeder preferably diminishes in width and depth toward its lower end, near which it. communicates with the conduit 6 through the small ink-channel e.

\Vhen the pen D is in position upon the holder,the groove e" is covered by about three fourths of the body portion of said pen, and it will be seen that the ink in conduite is drawn through the channel 0 by capillary action, and that the groove 0 and the body portion of pen D draw the ink from channel 0 into the" groove 0" by ca illary action, so that said groove is kept fille with ink as long as there is any ink in the reservoir.

When the pen is not being used,there is no waste of ink, because the pen proper presses down upon the top of the plug and prevents any flow of ink; but as soon as the pen proper is pressed upon the paper in the act of writing, its slight upward movement, previously alluded to, allows the ink to flow down to the nibs of the pen.

In the upper surface of the conduit e are formed one or more longitudinal grooves, 6, three being shown, said grooves extending from the upper or inner end of the conduit to the lower opening of the channel e. These grooves are to prevent the entrance of any sediment or foreign matter which may be in the ink into the channel 0' or groove e", and this result is accomplished by the capillary action of said grooves e", whereby they draw up the ink from the conduit, leaving the sediment upon the lower surface thereof,and conduct the pure ink to the channel c. Thus it is impossible for any sediment to pass through the channel 6'.

In order to provide for the sudden increase in the flow of ink demanded by shading and the constant increase in such flQW r q y rapid writing, I form a cavity, e, in the lower end of plug This cavity communicates with the upper surface of the plug,at the lower end thereof, through a capillary channel, a as shown. Thus when the pen is pressed hard upon the paper, as in shading, the upward movement of the pen proper opens the outer end of channel e and permits an increased flow of ink, while during rapid writing the ink-well e afi'ords a constant increase of ink to the pen. This ink-well receives its ink when the pen proper is pressed upon'the paper, the upward movement of the pen proper permitting a ortion of the ink flowing from groove or fee er e to enter the channel 0 and thus flow into the well e.

The air necessary to fill the vacuum created in the reservoir of holder A by the outflow of ink enters said reservoir from beneath the pen proper, such air passing through the channel e and conduit 0. Thus the air entering the reservoir is compelled to pass through a considerable body of ink, and but a small amount of air enters at any given time, so that the displacement will be gradual, all spasmodic action will be avoided, and a constant uniform flow of ink will be insured.

WVhen the cap A, before mentioned, is placed upon the lower end of the pen, the ridge or projection a thereof fits over the slit and hole of the pen proper, thus shutting off the air from contact with the ink in the capillary feeder and preventing evaporation, and also holding the pen proper firmly against the plug E. The perforation a permits the escape of air from within the cap when the latter is be-;

iug placed upon the lower end of the pen, so

that the air cannot be forced into the reservoir, thus also preventing the objectionable action of air upon the ink and pen.

In order to lessen the weight of the plug E its lower end is beveled off. upon the under side, and a ridge or backbone, e, is formed thereon, which extends the surface of pressure of the socket-piece 0.. A projection, 0 is formed upon the lower part of ridge e, to afford proper hold in-inserting, removing, or adjusting plug E.

By virtue of the construction above described the pen may be used until the last drop of ink has been fed from the reservoir, the flow of ink will be automatic, constant, and uniform, and as there are no Valves or movable parts to become clogged the pen will retain its usefulness and remain in working order until the ink-reservoir is emptied.

The capillary feeder is instantly filled whenever the pen is closed down upon the plug, so that the pen is always ready for use, that part of the pen proper which must be wet with ink before the pen can be used being always kept wet by the feeder. \Vhen the penis pressed upon the paper, the ink begins instantly to flow, so that no j olting of the pen is required to bring down the ink.

In Fig. 10 I have shown a modification of my invention, wherein the ink-well e* and the channel 6 are dispensed with, while the inkconduit 0, the channel 6, and the feeder eare widened or extended downward nearer to the point of the pen. In this construction, 110wever, no material departure is made from the essential spirit of my invention.

Having fully described myinvention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with an ink-reservoir, ofa plug having an ink-conduit, an ink-well located on the upper face of the plug below the discharge end of the ink-conduit, and a capillary feeder in open communication with the ink-duct, said channels serving to separate the ink from its sediment and to convey the ink to its outlet, substantially as described.

4. In a fountain-pen, aplug having a longitudinal ink-conduit communicating with the reservoir and with the upper surface of the plug, capillary channels extending longitudinally of said duct in its upper surface, and a capillary feeder formed in the upper surface of said plug and communicating with theinkduct, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with a reservoir, a socket-piece secured within the open end thereof and having the cut a for holding the pen proper, of the adjustable plug E, having a longitudinal conduit, 0, the channels ee 6 a feeder, a on the upper surface of the plug and in connnunication with the conduit, the well e", also in communication with the conduit, and the ridge 0', and the cap A, having the projection a and perforation a substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

C. 1\I.KAUTRIOK, H. A. PATTERSON. 

